Generally considered to be the most important asset of any organization is its employees, so that personnel safety is usually of paramount importance in any industry. This has led to mandatory and rigorous safety trainings and procedures at an industrial processing facility (IPF). One of the most important parts of the training is regarding proper use of Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE), which when used properly are effective as the last line of personal protection in manufacturing's various high risk activities.
PPE can prevent or reduce the risk of eye, head or other bodily injury from activities such as handling dangerous chemicals, dangerous substances, and pressurized gases, or from working with potentially dangerous machinery and tools such as welding equipment. Awareness regarding the usage of the correct PPEs and enforcing them in the field has always been a challenge in the process industries. Unfortunately, history shows the PPEs which employers provide to their workers are often not worn.
Even if the employee is safety trained regarding use of PPEs, unsafe behaviors and the practice of ignoring the use of correct PPEs can cause accidents at sites leading to loss of production, injury to personnel, and in worst case can cause fatalities. The underlying causes of an employee's failure to use proper PPEs can include little or no supervision, lack of proper procedures, poor awareness or risk perception, human error, or misjudgment.